The Prince and The Merboy
by the-sleepy-dormouse
Summary: A story of a young merboy who falls in love with a dark-eyed prince. Now the young merboy must face many trials to so that he can stay at his prince's side forever. South Park Little Mermaid AU. The Main pairing is Creek.
1. Chapter 1

Hello Everyone! This is my first time writing a South Park fic and why not make your first time a Little Mermaid AU. As of recent I have been rewatching Mermaid Melody and with the adorable creek episode that just aired a few weeks ago I could not help but be inspired to write this small story. This little tale will contain elements from several different Little Mermaid retellings as well as a bit from the original tale and my own silly ideas. I hope you enjoy this silly little romance story of mine.

Disclaimer: I do not own South Park nor do I own The Little Mermaid.

Chapter 1

Eyes Like the Night Sky

Once upon a time a there was a beautiful castle that sat upon a cliff overlooking the sea. The castle was carved from the most beautiful marble with large magnificent towers that stretched high into the starry night sky. From the tallest tower one could look out past the cove and into the open ocean. The windows of the towers were large and open, allowing the cool sea breeze to fill the castle's halls. Long winding marble stairs led from the castle's fragrant courtyard right to the ocean's shore. At the highest tides, the ocean's waves would kiss the cool marble steps and gave the feel that they lead right into the sea itself.

The castle was the summer home of King Tucker, his beautiful Queen and his two children, Prince Craig and little Princess Ruby. The tallest tower of the castle belonged to the eldest of the two siblings, Prince Craig. Craig would spend many a night looking through his telescope up at the starry night sky but on nights when the moon was particularly bright and the stars were hard to see, he would use his telescope to look out over the calm ocean. He would sometimes wonder what could possibly be lurking under the ocean's lulling waves. Perhaps dolphins or maybe even giant squid, but what the young prince didn't know was that not too far from shore sat a kingdom full of life and magic.

Unbeknownst to any human living in the village surrounding the castle, there sat a large flourishing undersea kingdom. The magical kingdom sat past the wave break and beyond the cluster of large rocks that protruded from the ocean's surface. Once out past the drop off, if one swam only a few meters they would come across the most magnificent sight. A large castle made of pearls and sparkling shells shone like a rainbow in deep ocean. Surrounding the castle were smaller structures not too different from the homes of the humans on the land above, except these houses were made of shells and sea sparkling sea stone. An enchanting rainbow glow radiated from the kingdom.

One would think that the humans in the surrounding area must know of this under sea kingdom, with it being so large and grand, but the kingdom was protected from the human eye with magic. For every citizen of this kingdom contributed a small amount of magic every day to protecting it from the humans, as well as any other magical sea threats. This fair kingdom was inhabited by none other than the legendary Merfolk. Mermaids and Mermen swam the streets of the glowing kingdom, for it was their enchanting mersongs that protected the kingdom from danger and gave it its heaven like glow.

On most full moon nights, young Prince Craig would look out over the sea right where the kingdom lay, but saw nothing for he was a human. On this particular moonlit night, the prince was nowhere to be seen for he and his family were off celebrating.

This night, the sea was still allowing the bright moon to cast a yellow-white glow upon its surface. A small splashing sound could be heard from the cluster of rocks at the cove's entrance. If Craig had been at his window and peering through his telescope, he could have seen a sight he would not believe, for a small golden-haired merboy pulled himself from the sea onto a flat rock.

The small merboy, looking to be no older than 9, twitched anxiously as he settled onto the flat rock. He pulled his sparkling teal tail as far out of the water as he could as he shifted so his back faced the castle. His bright green eyes reflected the moon as he gazed out over the the vast ocean. He held his breath as if he expected something to jump out and grab him. A small rogue wave splashed against a nearby rock causing the merchild to release a rather long "GAH!"

The boy looked to the offending rock, his bright green eyes grew wide with anxiety as he waited for the worst to happen. What that might be only the young merboy knew. After a few seconds of nothing, the boy relaxed ever so slightly.

"It's okay, Tweek," the boy croaked in a high squeaky voice. "I think you've lost them."

Tweek looked around the surrounding rocks one last time to be sure he was truly alone. Though still nervous, he was not too surprised that not a single one of his bullies had followed him so close to shore. Tweek knew better than any merperson that the shore was a dangerous place to be, for humans were known to capture and kill merfolk, or so Tweek parents had warned.

To Tweek, it did not matter where he was, whether it be on land or in the sea he felt as if everything was trying to kill him. In the kingdom he was tormented by bullies for being so small and twitchy, the open sea was full of things that wanted to eat him and Tweek didn't even want to know what dangers the land held. Here among the large rocks, Tweek was able to seek refuge. His bullies were afraid of the surface, large sea creatures were unable to wind through the rocks and they protected him from the wandering eyes of humans, or so Tweek thought.

Tweek often came to these rocks to relax and meditate. It was one of the only places he truly felt he could let some of his guard down. As the moments passed, Tweek relaxed and his twitching subsided. The fluke of his teal tail lazily splashed in the water as he enjoyed the warm summer sea breeze. The bright full moon shone down on the now relaxed merboy like a spotlight. Taken in by the beauty of the moment, Tweek began to sing.

Like all merfolk, Tweek sang like an enchanting bell. His song had not words but the message was understood nonetheless. His small voice harmonized perfectly with the sound of the ocean. As he sang, a small pearl that hung from a chain around his neck began to glow. It glowed a calming teal light that matched his tail. As Tweek gave in more to the ocean's song, the scales on his tail sparkled like glitter in the moonlight.

All merfolk carried a song of the ocean in their hearts as well as a pearl around their necks, and when they sang and their pearl glowed they were able to access their mermagic. Tweek's particular magic was that of healing. Whenever Tweek came to this rock, he would sing and could feel his fears melt away.

On this particular night, Tweek's sweet song held much sorrow, for he was a very lonely merchild. He had no friends, for no one wanted to hang around a small twitchy freak such as himself. As he sang, Tweek wished for nothing more than a friend who could like him regardless of his anxious disposition.

His voice grew stronger and stronger as his heart reached to the heavens to grant his wish. His bright green eyes shown with small tears as he sang to the moon. The notes of his sad song carried out far across the ocean and beyond the horizon.

Unnoticed by the small merboy came light notes from a wind instrument. The wind instrument blended well with Tweek's pure voice. Tweek closed his green eyes as he sang along with the instrument. As he sung his song became less lonesome and more calming and joyful. The tune he sang reminded him of a warm summer day sunbathing on his favorite rock. He felt less alone. He felt less scared and much less hopeless. He felt happy and his sweet singing voice reflected those feelings.

As Tweek's song came to an end, he opened his bright green eyes, expecting to look yet again up at the bright moon - but he was met by something much different. In front of Tweek was not the moon but a dark-eyed boy looking down at him from a small ship. Tweek's mouth hung open in shock as his green eyes grew to be as round as the moon itself. A human was looking right at him. Tweek wanted to flee but could not seem to move. He sat stunned and stiff as the dark-eyed boy looked down upon him.

The boy didn't seem nearly as frightened as Tweek. In fact, he didn't even seem to be surprised to see a merboy sitting on the rock. His calm, dark blue eyes studied Tweek with very little emotion.

Without realizing it, Tweek became lost in the other boys dark blue eyes. They reminded him of moonless nights where the stars shone the brightest in the sky. For some reason this calmed Tweek down. It was only then that Tweek had an idea that this boy looked to be around the same age as him, he was unsure though since this was his first time ever meeting a human.

Tweek studied the young human boy. He had jet black hair and pale skin. Tweek was taken aback at how handsome the mysterious boy really was. He felt his cheeks go pink as he gazed at the beautiful human in front of him. Tweek could not see how large this boy was for only the upper half of his body poked out over the boat's railing. He had the sudden need to see what the bottom half of a human looked like for he heard they did not have a tail like merfolk did.

The boy's dark blue eyes connected with Tweek's bright green gaze and something passed between the two boys. Something that caused Tweek's heart to beat in a very pleasant way. He felt the need to reach out to the human boy and take his hand.

"Why are you sitting on that rock?" the dark-eyed boy asked in a nasally voice, breaking the enchanting silence.

"Gah!" Tweek belted as he came to his senses.

The dark-haired boy didn't seem to be startled in the slightest by the outburst.

"P-please! Please don't kill me," Tweek pleaded in a shaky voice.

"I'm not going to hurt you," the boy replied, his eyes holding the slightest hint of surprise.

"B-But! The stories! Humans they… kill and… and," Tweek blabbered in an incoherent fit.

"What are you talking about?" the boy questioned. "Why would I kill you?"

"Gah!" Tweek replied, unable to answer the question.

The dark-haired boy thought for only a moment as he seemed to decide to change his tactics.

"I like your tail," the boy said as his dark eyes studied Tweek's shimmering teal tail. "I like how it shines in the moonlight and when you sing."

"Oh!" Tweek gasped in surprise. No one had ever complimented his tail before. "Um thank you," he replied as his heartbeat increased with joy. He gave his tail a few small flicks.

"I liked your singing too," the boy added, happy to see that his plan to calm the merboy was working.

"Th-thank you," Tweek said as he looked to the boy and smiled. He was happy to see that the boy was smiling back.

Then something passed between the two yet again and their smiles grew.

"Was that you playing the instrument?" Tweek asked in a less shaky voice. He felt as if he could trust this human boy.

"Oh, this old thing?" Craig said as he pulled a flute from his pocket and played a few notes.

Tweek relaxed and smiled as he enjoyed the crisp tune. It resembled the song he had just sung a moment ago.

"It's nice," Tweek unintentionally sighed aloud. He could feel the tension in his body ease up completely.

"I like that song," Craig agreed after finishing the piece. "It starts off so sad but ends on such a high note."

The two boys smiled at each other yet again. Tweek's heart gave a pleasant beat. Tweek had never encountered such a situation in his whole life. Most merfolk either ignored him or made fun how anxious he was. This is the first time anyone other than his parents had ever shown such kindness to him. Tweek felt as if the tales of humans being evil were all wrong for the boy he looked at now showed him nothing but kindness.

Tweek suddenly had the urge to join the boy on the boat. To get to know him more. To learn more about him and other humans. Without realizing it, he reached his small hand out to the dark-eyed boy. He had a desperate need to be with him, and for the first time in a long time Tweek felt safe.

"What are you doing?" the boy asked as Tweek reached toward the boat.

"Please take me with you," Tweek replied in a small voice.

"There is no way I'd be able to reach you from here," the boy pointed out, as he too reached his arm out to show his point.

"Would you even want me… Could I come stay with you?" Tweek asked in an uncertain tone as he pulled his arm back and held it to his chest. Perhaps the boy didn't really want Tweek to hang around.

The boy sat in confused silence as he gazed down upon Tweek. Tweek's tail flicked with nerves as he gazed at his tail fluke, too afraid to hear what the boy might say.

"I'd love to have you," the dark-eyed boy replied after a moment of silence. "But don't you have a family? What about your friends?" the boy questioned.

"My family won't miss me… and… I have no friends," Tweek replied in a small voice.

The boy did not reply to this. He merely looked at Tweek as Tweek hung his head low.

"You have me as a friend," the boy said after a moment of thinking.

Tweek said nothing as he looked to the boy in shock, for no one had ever asked Tweek to be their friend. The boy's expressionless gaze melted into a kind smile, causing Tweek to smile as well. Tweek's heartbeat pounded with joy.

"But, I don't know how to get you up here," the boy sighed as he looked around the boat.

Tweek felt a wave of panic brush over him, causing him to twitch. What if he could not join the boy on the boat? What if he was destined to stay glued to the ocean forever never being able to join his new friend? This thought sunk Tweek's heart and made him quiver.

"I have an idea!" the boy announced.

"What is it?" Tweek looked up to the boy hopefully.

"Why don't you just swim down deep and jump out of the water and into the ship like a dolphin?" the boy explained.

"What?!" Tweek squeaked. "Me?! Jump that high?! But I… I can't I… Gah!"

"Have you never tried to jump out of the water?" the dark-eyed boy asked calmly.

"Gah! No!" Tweek replied with a squeak as he gave his hair a small tug. The mere idea of taking flight frightened him. What if a strong wind were to blow him into the rocks?

"I think you should give it a try! It might be the only way," the boy coaxed, his voice still calm.

"No! I… I can't… I'm not a very good swimmer and what if I don't make i?t" Tweek practically shouted the last bit in terror.

"It's okay. I will reach out and grab you and pull you on board," the boy reassured.

"Gah… Oh God," Tweek gasped as he looked to his new friend. His fears melted slightly at the determination in the boy's dark eyes.

"I know you can do it," the boy proclaimed.

Tweek looked to the boy for only a moment longer before sighing a quivery "Okay."

"Don't worry. You'll be okay! I know you will," the boy reassured in his calm voice yet again.

When Tweek heard his friend's cool voice he felt as if he could indeed do it!

"Okay, here goes nothing," Tweek said as he slipped off his rock and into the water.

Tweek dove down as deep as he could, knowing he would need to gain as much speed as possible. He had seen dolphins do this many times but had never tried to breach fully out of water himself. With as much speed as his small tail could muster, he shot as fast as he could to the surface.

Surprised by his own speed, Tweek shot out of the water and up higher than the boat's rail. For the first time that night, the two boys got a good look at each other as Tweek shot up past the boy and came back down.

Time seemed to slow down as Tweek took in the handsome young boy. Their faces were only inches apart from each other. Tweek got a whiff of spice and pine as he passed close to the dark-haired boy. The boy's dark eyes were even more enchanting up close and his hair looked soft as silk. Tweek had the urge to reach out and stoke the human boy's face.

Both boys were so enamored by the other that they forgot to reach out their hands and grab onto each other. Tweek feel back into the sea with a very loud splash.

"GAH!" Tweek shrieked as he broke the surface of the water.

"Are you okay?!" the boy asked with a hint of worry in his calm voice.

"Did you see that!? Did you see how high I went?" Tweek cheered triumphantly.

"You went really high. Even higher then me!" the boy said with a nod.

"I know! I didn't make it into your ship but I didn't think I could even jump that high but I did!" Tweek gasped in joy. Never before had he felt so accomplished over something.

"Well, let's try again. One more time and I will grab onto you for sure this time and pull you into the boat," the boy coaxed, anxious to pull his new friend aboard.

Before Tweek could reply another voice came from the boat. Tweek felt his heart go cold. He had no clue other humans were on the boat.

"Craig! Craig where are you?" came the approaching voice of a woman.

"I'm over here, mom!" the dark haired boy, Craig, replied, vanishing from the side rail.

"What was the splashing sound?" the woman asked in a sharp tone.

Tweek pressed his body to the boat's side in an attempt to hide himself in its shadows. He didn't know what to do. He wanted to stay with the boy, Craig, longer but wasn't ready for other humans to interact with him. What if this other human was not as kind as Craig was?

"Craig, a young prince such as yourself should not be running off like this" the woman scolded.

"Prince?" Tweek whispered to himself.

"Mom! I'm just talking to my new friend," Tweek heard Craig explain.

Tweek heard the woman's angry footsteps approaching their side of the boat. His body tensed up. He couldn't bring himself to face someone who sounded so aggressive. With a panicked "Gah!" Tweek dived deep into the water.

When Craig and his mother looked over the rail's edge into the sea, they were met by nothing but the moon's reflection on the water.

"No, he was here," Craig mumbled to himself as his dark blue eyes searched the flat rock and the surrounding ocean.

"What are you going on about, Craig?" his mother signed as she attempted to lead her son away from the rail.

"No! There was a golden-haired boy on that rock! He was singing. I was going to help him onto the ship," Craig explained as he stubbornly looked over the rail's edge.

His mother searched him for a moment, surprised to see her normally calm son show so much emotion.

"Listen, Craig," she began as she crouched down to his level. "I know you are not a fan of large crowds but it is your duty as the prince to attend royal events, and no outlandish story is going to get you out of it."

With that, she began to lead her son away from the railing. Craig struggled against her pull in an attempt to search for the golden-haired merboy he so desperately wanted to see again, but to no avail. The young prince was dragged to the party.

Moments later, Tweek surfaced yet again in hopes that Craig was still there. To his dismay the railing was left empty and lonely.

"Craig! Prince Craig! Are you there?" Tweek called. His heart sank when he didn't get a reply.

Leaning against the ship's side, Tweek let loose a sad sigh. Perhaps he should not have run away when the lady came. Maybe she would have allowed him on the boat and not have killed him.

Tweek closed his eyes and imagined the dark, dreamy eyes of the human boy he had just met moments ago.

"Prince Craig, I'll be waiting here for you," Tweek whispered with a smile as a light dusting of pink graced his cheeks.

….

I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter! It was really fun to write. I personally love any sort of mermaid AU so I am very excited to write this. I have been wanting to write a creek fic for about a year now and have finally been inspired to do so.

As for the song Tweek sings I decided not to make it any specific song so that you, the reader, can insert whatever song you wish. I will post a link here to the song I like to imagine. It is from the anime Mermaid Melody the songs name is Beautiful Wish ( watch?v=1ozV84f3zwo). Just in case any of you were wondering. I recommend listening to the song from the anime but be warned that you may come across spoilers for the anime in the process.

As of now it seems like this fic will be about 8 to 9 chapters or maybe a bit more or less depending on how much I write per a chapter. It's hard to say. I have the whole story outlined and the first few chapters have been written and are in the process of editing and such. I hope to get a chapter out about once a week to every other week depending on what life allows.

I would like to thank my beta reader, Teenage Mouse. If it were not for her than this whole thing would be nonsensical mess and hard to read. I am horrible with grammar. Please, if you have free time swim on over to her page and check out her work.

I would love to hear from you, my readers, so please leave a review and let me what you think so far of this story. Also, please feel free to leave any other type of comment positive or negative. I am always looking to improve my writing. You can also reach me on Tumblr if you'd rather not post here. My name is pastaprincess.

Thats is all for now. See you all next chapter.


	2. The Teal Scale

Hello everyone! It's great to see you all here for chapter 2! I was going to post this over the weekend but then I saw that there is no new episode of South Park tonight so I decided to post this chapter to make up for it. I hope you all enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own South Park nor do I own The Little Mermaid.

Chapter 2

The Teal Scale

" _Prince Craig! You finally came back!" Tweek shouted from his favorite flat rock._

" _I have been searching for you this whole time, my little merboy!" Prince Craig replied with a dreamy smile._

 _Tweek blushed and laughed light-heartedly as he was pulled from the rock by sea birds. The bright sun shone down on the two as Tweek was placed next to Craig. The clear blue sky seemed to smile as the two reunited with each other._

" _I'm so happy to finally have you back by my side!" Craig shouted in joy as he embraced Tweek in a strong hug._

" _I am so happy to finally be reunited with you, my prince," Tweek sang as he took in the spiced scent of the prince._

" _Let's never be apart again," Craig cheered before laying a sweet kiss on Tweek's forehead._

" _Oh, my prince, I would never leave your side again," Tweek sang in jubilation._

 _With that, the two performed the song they shared from the night they met. Tweek's sweet voice echoed through the air as Craig plaid on his flute. Tweek's heart swelled with joy as he held Craig close._

" _Oh Craig I am so happy to see you," Tweek shouted._

" _But Tweek," Craig replied, his tone less joyful. "It's late and you need to get up!'_

" _What…?" Tweek looked to Craig, confused by what he said._

" _Tweek you slept in again!" Craig scolded._

 _To Tweek's horror, Craig's gorgeous face transformed into that of his father._

" _Tweek! How are we to run a proper business if you sleep in like this?" his father's floating head scolded._

 _With that the floating feeling Tweek had felt when with Craig vanished and was replaced with stress and dread._

…

Tweek groaned as he rolled around in his sponge bed.

"Ah! I-I'll be out in a minute, Dad!" Tweek shouted from under his kelp sheets. The sheets were pulled over his head and his teal tail poked out from under the dark green sea duvet.

"Well, get down to the cafe right away! Your mother needs your help opening," demanded before swimming out of his only son's room.

Tweek sighed as he shut his green eyes yet again. He longed to be with his Craig. He had not seen the dark-haired boy since that night 7 years ago. The only time he was able to meet with his prince was in his dreams and currently Tweek desperately wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep and be with Craig.

He groaned once again before rolling out of his bed. If he didn't get a move on his father would come back and heckle him more and when his father heckled him, Tweek's frustration would only grow.

He swam over to the small window in his room and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath before opening his mouth to sing. Just like all the other merfolk in the kingdom, Tweek started his morning by singing the song he held deep within his heart to help strengthen the barrier around the city. His teal pearl glowed softly as he sung the sweet song he shared with Craig so many years ago.

As Tweek ended his enchanting song, a small light floated from his pearl and out the window. Tweek watched as the small teal ball floated up and became one with the large glowing barrier. He let loose a sad sigh as he looked past the barrier to the ocean's surface. He could tell that it must be early, for the sun's light was not yet reflecting through the waves.

As it often did, Tweek's mind wandered yet again to his prince. Resting his ching in his hands, Tweek looked dreamily up at the early morning surface. He could not help but wonder if his dark-eyed prince also dreamt of ever reuniting with Tweek, if Craig ever looked out over the ocean longing to see Tweek yet again. Whenever Tweek's thoughts wandered to where Craig must be and if Craig even remembers that night, he would feel an ache in his chest and a yearning to sprout legs and live amongst the humans.

Tweek only looked to the heavens a moment longer before reluctantly pulling himself from the windowsill to start his day. He lazily picked up his old shell comb and floated over to his full length mirror. His bright green eyes stared back at him as he studied his reflection.

Tweek had grown quite a bit in the past 7 years. He was not a scrawny merboy anymore but a squat merteen. He was much shorter than most merboys his age, despite growing so much. The doctor had told his parents he should have been at least 6 inches taller to be at a normal length. When out on the town, other merfolk would sometimes even mistake him for a mermaid from behind. Tweek tried not to let it get to him but he often worried he might be sick with some sort of disease causing him to be so short. His parents and the doctor reassured him that he was healthy otherwise, but Tweek could not help but worry that he might someday come down with a crippling bone disease or something.

Trying not to obsess over why he was so short, Tweek made a futile attempt to brush his wild golden hair only to give up after a few tries.

' _At least I can say I tried,'_ Tweek thought as he tossed the comb aside.

After giving his messy hair a ruffle, Tweek studied his tired face. Large dark bags hung under his green eyes, making it look as if he needed a few more hours of sleep, which he did. Though he was much better at getting to sleep at night, he still had trouble settling down. He often feared the barrier would fall and a giant squid would reach in through his window and gobble him up.

Giving a small involuntary twitch, Tweek's eye wandered down his body. Tweek was not a very fit merboy. He was not skinny by any means, nor was he terribly fat. His mother often told him he was huggable, like a sea sponge. Most merboys his age had strong firm stomachs and large muscular arms, but Tweek's belly was soft and ever so slightly protruded out, and his arms were stubby without a single muscle to speak of. He often promised himself that he would work on firming up his muscles and losing his small belly, but never got around to it.

Tweek's eyes then wandered to his bright teal tail. Tweek would never admit it aloud, but his favorite part about himself was his shimmering tail, for Craig has told him on that night that he liked it. Whenever Tweek thought of that compliment, he often felt a warmth spread from his chest. No one ever complimented him on anything before, nor had it ever happened again.

Most merfolk told him that his bright tail was a liability. That he was an easy target for predators and would someday be snached up by a gian squid and eaten alive. As a child, these thoughts haunted Tweek, but since that night with Craig he was able to see the beauty in his tail.

The other bit that Tweek secretly liked about himself was his beautiful singing voice. When he talked, his voice was high pitched and hard on the ears, but when he sang he could lull even the most angry of see monsters to sleep. Also, when he sang he felt as if he was able to somehow connect with his beloved Craig. Craig has told him that he liked his singing voice. When Tweek thought of the compliment, he could not help but sing with all his heart.

With one last look at his reflection, Tweek left his room and made his way down to the cafe. His house's bedrooms sat on the third floor, the very top floor of the house, with the living area being on the second floor and their family cafe taking up all the first floor. Tweek entered the cafe from the back room that connected the second floor to the cafe.

The cafe was none too impressive. The far walls were made of windows that looked out to the street. The dining area consisted of ten medium tables that could seat about four merfolk each. He swam up to his mother who was currently setting some sea treats into a display case at the front counter.

"G-Good morning, Mom," Tweek squawked as he twitched involuntarily.

"Why, good morning sleepy-head," his mother greeted in a soft tone. She was a small merwoman with a mauve tail. Her mauve tail did not sparkle nearly as brightly as Tweek's, but shimmered nonetheless under the enchanting glow of the barrier.

"Dad said you needed my help," Tweek replied with a nervous flip of his tail.

"Oh, yes," she replied as she thought for a moment. "Why don't you finish up filling the display case while I prepare to open."

"Ngh-! Okay," Tweek replied with another involuntary twitch as he took his mother's place behind the display case.

Tweek hated it when they opened shop. It's not that he didn't like meeting the other merfolk who came in, he just couldn't stand the pressure of the morning rush of merfolk stopping in on their way to work. When things got too busy, he was often unable to keep up with the demand for fast service. Just thinking about it made Tweek tug at his hair.

"Ah, yes, my beautiful wife and dutiful son hard at work," Tweek's father said as he burst in through the back door.

"Agh!" Tweek greeted as he hit his head on the top of the display case.

"Good morning dear," Tweek's mother greeted in her calm voice.

"Yes, everything looks in order here at Tweek Bros Seabean House," Richard Tweak, Tweek's father, sighed as he looked out over the small cafe. Much like the other two in the family, was also a smaller merman. He had a dusty gray tail that barely shimmered beneath the barrier's glowing light.

"Yes, once Tweek is done setting out the treats we can open," Mrs. Tweak replied as she finished setting out the last chair.

"If someone had not slept in so late we could already be open," Mr. Tweak laughed, thought Tweek could not help but feel it was a jab at him for sleeping in so late.

"Sorry, Dad," Tweek mummbled as he set out the last treat. Most mornings always started with his father indirectly chastising Tweek in some way.

"And let's not scare off any customers today with any shouting like yesterday," Mr. Tweak added with another laugh, thought it did not sound too genuine.

Tweek gave a violent, involuntary twitch as he muttered a weak "Jesus, I try…"

"Now dear, let's not start with that," Mrs. Tweak sighed as she swam to her husband's side. "You know Tweek is trying his very best even if he does mess up from time to time," she hummed as she gave her husband's shoulders a soft squeeze.

Tweek's mother often stood up for him when his father would get started on Tweek's quirks. Tweek appreciated it, but he knew his strange ticks were grating on his parents. He often felt they would be much happier if they could be rid of him. He would not be scaring off any more customers.

An awkward silence hung between the small family. Tweek could tell that his father wanted to say more, but would not dare in front of Mrs. Tweak.

"Now, shall we open for business?" Mrs. Tweak suggested, breaking the tense atmosphere.

"Yes… I'll go unlock the door," Mr. Tweak said with a clap of his hands. With that he swam off to the entrance.

"Tweek, dear, why don't you go to the serving station and pass out the food to the customers," Mrs. Tweak softly suggested.

The serving station was at the far end of the front counter. It was the simplest job, where all one had to do was add the garnish to the food and pass it to the customer. It was the best job for Tweek for he didn't have to memorize any orders, nor did he really need to talk with anyone.

With that, the small family got to work, each focused on their own tasks for the day.

…..

The day dragged by at a sea snail's pace. It was late afternoon when suggested Tweek take the rest of the day off to go out and play. Tweek took the offer all to eagerly, though he would never admit that he had no friends to play with. He often lied to his parents, saying he wanted to go out and hang with the other merboys, but in actuality Tweek would spend all his free time at the ocean's surface.

On this particular evening as the sun set over the horizon, an early summer's breeze wafted through the air. Tweek sat atop his favorite flat rock and watched as the sun dipped down into the ocean. The sun's enchanting rays painted the ocean's surface with an orange glow, making it look as if it were lava. Tweek loved the serenity that came when the sun dipped down past the horizon and the stars slowly dotted the sky.

Tweek came to this rock almost everyday. He would come and sing the song he and the prince shared 7 years ago, wishing that someday the prince may return to him. As the sun dipped down out of sight and the stars began to dot the night sky, Tweek hummed the calming tune. As the half moon rose high into the sky, Tweek's humming turned into full on singing. His sweet voice swept out over the sea, putting all creatures within ears' reach to sleep. When Tweek sang like this, he, too, felt his worries subside ever so slightly. When he sang on his rock, he would close his eyes and imagine his prince with him playing his small fluet.

Tweek longed for another moment just like the magical one 7 years ago. Every night he would wish upon every night star to return his prince to him so that he could feel the wonders of true joy yet again.

On this particular night, Tweek's singing grew stronger and stronger as he wished on every star. The beautiful twinkling stars reflected in his pleading green eyes as if they knew some unspoken secret that they've been keeping from him. Tweek closed his eyes and reached one arm out as he hit a particularly high note, and that's when he heard it. The sound of a flute.

Tweek's voice subsided as his breath caught in his throat. His heart beat with an excitement he had never felt before. The flute's sweet tune lingered even after he stopped singing. Afraid of disappointment, Tweek slowly opened his green eyes. As his green eyes cracked open, Tweek let loose a breathy gasp for there in front of him high up on a ship sat his dark-eyed prince.

Tweek's shimmering green eyes were round as a full moon as he took in the beautiful man. Craig had grown so much in the past few years. His jawline was pronounced, his neck muscular, his soft, dark hair styled a bit longer, but his dark blue eyes shone like the night sky just as Tweek remembered. Tweek felt his heart do a flip in his chest as he blinked in disbelief.

"Is it really you?" Tweek croaked as he leaned forward still in disbelief.

Prince Caig lowered the flue as he leaned over the rail squinting at Tweek, for Tweek did not realize he was in the shadows of the rocks.

"Who's there?" Craig demanded before getting a glimpse of a teal tail. He let loose a surprised gasp.

Tweek shifted ever so slightly on the flat rock so that half of his boy was illuminated by the moon's light

As Tweek shifted into the light the prince gasped yet again.

"It's you! It's really you!" Craig said in disbelief, for his family has assured him that the time he had met Tweek had been a mere dream.

"I've been waiting for you, my prince," Tweek replied ever so shyly.

"I-I can't believe you are actually here," the prince replied with a blink of his eyes as if he were failing to get a hold of himself. "Everyone said you weren't real but I knew you had to be."

Tweek smiled in reply as his bright green eyes stared into Craig's dark blue gaze. He felt his heart do another joyous flip. A moment of magical silence hung in the cool air.

"I've been looking for you… Hoping to see you again," Craig said, adding even more to the enchanting moment. He squinted his eyes in an attempt to get a better look at the merboy on the rock.

"Oh, my prince, I am so happy to see you again," Tweek sighed with joy.

A happy silence hung between the two teens with only the sound of the ocean waves. Tweek's heart swelled with joy knowing that his prince had indeed been thinking of him all this time. His prince had not forgotten that magical night. Tweek wanted nothing more than to leap onto the boat and be with Craig. He didn't even care if other humans were aboard it, for he did not want to go another moment without his prince.

"Please, take me with you!" Tweek pleaded as he shifted off the rock into the water.

Craig only seemed surprised for a moment before smiling softly.

"I promise this time I will grab you and pull you in," Craig said as he reached a hand out over the rail.

Tweek smiled brightly as his heart swelled with joy. He could not believe that this was actually happening to him. He was finally going to be reunited with his prince. Part of him insisted that it must be a dream but he knew that every last bit of it was real.

Before Tweek could ready himself to dive under water, he felt a strange tug on his fin, as if the ocean current was trying to pull him away. He looked down and gave his fin a sharp tug to find that the unnatural current tried to pull him in a completely other direction.

"Is something the matter?" Craig shouted from the rail.

Tweek shook his fin roughly as he looked up to his prince. He opened his mouth to reply but his voice caught in his throat as lighting dashed across the sky and loud thunderous bang shook the air. Only moments ago the sky had been crystal clear, but now it was covered in angry black clouds. As if out of nowhere, an angry wind rushed through the air and the ocean's waves began to toss Tweek and the ship about. Panicked screams could be heard from up on the ship.

"Craig!" Tweek shouted as he looked up to find his prince hanging on to the rail for dear life. Before Tweek could do much more, a large wave smashed down upon him, pushing him deep under water. Tweek desperately tried to orient himself as he tumbled under the large ship, the ocean's angry current tousled him about like a rag doll. Tweek's body filled with dread not for himself but for the safety of his beloved prince.

After much effort, Tweek was able to pull free from the odd current, allowing him to break the rough ocean's surface. Tweek's desperate green eyes searched the ship for his dark-eyed prince but he was nowhere to be seen. Another large flash of lightning shot from the sky and struck the ship. Panicked screams could be heard from up on the ship as an angry orange fire began to burn.

"Gah! Craig!" Tweek desperately shouted as he tried his best to locate his prince, though there was not much he could do from in the water. Tweek took notice that several smaller boats with humans in them were being lowered into the sea in an attempt to escape but Craig was not among any of those humans.

With a sudden jerk the ship spun unnaturally, crashing into the rocks that protruded from the ocean floor just as another clash of lighting smashed down into the center of the ship causing the ship to creak and moan as it split in two. Water began to fill the ship, causing it to sink fast.

"No! Craig!" Tweek shrieked in horror. "Oh God! How could this be happening? Gah!" Tweek sputtered as he dove under the water in an attempt to get as close as he could to the carnage.

' _I have to find Craig! I just have to,'_ Tweek's mind screamed as he desperately searched through the debris.

He dodged this way and that as his terrified green eyes searched the carnage for his prince. It only took a moment for him to see a dark-haired figure being dragged down by a rope. Tweek knew right away that it was his prince.

With the speed of a tuna, Tweek shot to where his prince struggled to free himself from the rope. Craig gave one last thrash as bubbles floated from his mouth.

"Oh, please no!" Tweek gasped as his shaking hands freed his prince's leg. Without missing a beat, Tweek took Craig into his arms and shot for the surface. The prince was heavy but the adrenaline pumping through Tweek got them to the surface in no time.

"Gah! Craig, please be okay, please!" Tweek begged as he made sure to keep the prince's head clear out of the water.

The prince sputter up some water with a gargled cough. His dark eyes cracked open and for a moment he gazed into Tweek worried green eyes. The two held the gaze for only a second before Craig passed out yet again.

"Gah! No!" Tweek shrieked, but found that, although shallow, the prince was still breathing.

In a panic, Tweek looked about himself, unsure of what he should do. The ocean tossed him this way and that but with the ship now sunk it seemed as if the storm had done its duty and was ready to head on to its next victim.

"Oh God, what do I do?! What do I do?!" Tweek mumbled in a panic as he tried his best to keep the prince's head above the water. His terrified green eyes then looked upon the shore in the cove. Without a second thought, Tweek took off towards the shore.

The prince was a heavy load, and it took all of Tweek's strength to drag him up onto the shore. By the time the prince was safely up onto the sand, the sun was beginning to rise up into the sky. In utter exhaustion, Tweek collapsed onto the prince, laying his head upon the prince's chest. In an attempt to calm himself, Tweek closed his eyes and was happy to hear the faint thumping of his prince's heart.

"Thank God, you're alive," Tweek sighed as he savored the beautiful sound of Craig's heartbeat. Tweek rested his head upon Craig's chest for only a moment more before pulling himself up and off the prince.

The bright morning sun shone warmly down on them. The sky was clear yet again without a hint of there ever being a storm.

Tweek looked down upon the face of his prince. The sun kissed Craig's soft skin, giving Tweek a perfect close up view of his beloved prince. Tweek ran his shaky finger along the prince's soft lips feeling him inhale and exhale. Tweek smiled softly down at the beautiful sight.

Wanting to make sure the prince was really going to be okay, Tweek removed the largest, most sparkling scale from his tail and laid it upon the prince's chest. Taking a deep breath Tweek began to sing the song he held so deep within his heart. As he sang, the scales on his tail and the one upon the prince's chest began to glow with green healing magic.

As Tweek's voice reached out into the sea and up onto the land, he gazed down at his beloved prince. He brushed a stray hair from the Craig's face a his chest swelled with joy. Joy that his prince was alive, joy of being reunited with his prince, and joy to know that his prince never forgot about him.

Craig's dark eyes cracked open at the sound of Tweek's sweet singing voice. He looked up to see a heavenly glow from the sun radiate from behind Tweek's head. His blurry gaze could make out bright green eyes and soft golden locks of hair. Tweek smiled brightly as the two gazed into each other's eyes. As Tweek's song ended, Craig took Tweek's hand in his own and gave it a squeeze.

"I've been looking for you for such a long time," Craig croaked as he closed his eyes in an attempt to stop his head from spinning.

"And I've been waiting for you, my prince," Tweek replied softly, as he gave Craig's hand a soft squeeze.

Just then, panicked voices and rushed footsteps could be heard from the steps leading down the the beach.

"Gah! Oh, gosh!" Tweek gasped as his heart gave a startled flip, causing him to release Craig's hand. He could not be found here like this. They would surely blame him for the prince's condition. People were coming and they would make sure Craig was okay. The prince was safe now. As he turned to return to the ocean, Tweek felt a hand grasp his arm firmly.

"Please don't go! Not after I've finally found you," Prince Craig pleaded.

He looked back to see Craig desperately trying to come to his senses.

"Oh, my dear prince! I must go but I promise I will come back to your side so please wait for me," Tweek urged as he looked over his prince once last time. Craig's eyes cracked open for only a moment allowing them to share a longing gaze for that second.

"I'll wait for you," Craig replied in a tired voice.

"Prince Craig, is that you?" came a voice from the stairs.

With that, Tweek knew his time was up. He leapt from the prince's side and plunged back into the sea just as some humans rounded the corner. He took refuge behind a large rock, peeking out to make sure the humans really did find the prince.

A man with a rather large head, a smaller girl with red hair and a twitchy, sandy-haired boy all gathered around the prince.

"Big brother, are you okay!" the little girl gasped as she slumped down next to Craig.

"Ahh FUCK! I told you I saw something down here," the twitchy boy gasped as he crouched on the other side of Craig.

"Is he dead?" the small girl asked as she studied her brother.

"SHIT!" the sandy-haired boy screamed involuntarily.

"Now you two, the prince is not dead, m-kay," the large-headed man said in a drawling voice. "If you look closely you will see he is still breathing, m-kay."

The two crouching next to the prince looked closer and saw that he was indeed breathing.

"Ah, SHIT," the boy screamed yet again.

"Now, Ruby, please head up to the castle and tell you mother that we found him, m-kay," the large-headed man instructed calmly.

"Yes, Mr. Mackey," Ruby, the young girl, nodded as she pulled herself from the sand and ran up the stairs.

"Now, Thomas, help me try to awaken his highness," Mr. Mackey drawled as he addressed the sandy-haired boy.

"FUCK!" Thomas replied with a slight shake.

Tweek watched from behind the rock curiously as this whole exchange took place. This was the first time he was seeing other humans outside of Craig.

As the two checked over the prince, he started to fully come to.

"Ohh, my head," Craig groaned as he rubbed his aching eyes.

"Oh SHIT! Are you okay, your highness?" Thomas shouted.

Craig blinked a few times before looking up at Thomas. The sun's rays shone from behind Thomas's head.

"You're still here," Craig said as he lifted his hand and stroked Thomas's cheek.

"FUCK!" Thomas replied in confusion.

Tweek felt jealousy boil in his stomach as he watched his prince mistake another boy for him.

"Gah! No! I'm the one who saved you, Prince Craig," Tweek squawked with anger, pulling at his hair.

As Craig came to, his smile melted into that of confusion. He looked up at Thomas, fully taking in the sandy-haired boy.

"You…. You're not him…" Craig sighed as he sat up slowly. His dark eyes wandered the shore line looking for Tweek. "He can't have gone far."

"Your highness, what are you talking about?" Thomas asked "ASS!"

"The boy, with the golden hair and green eyes…" Craig mumbled as his eyes darted around hoping to catch sight of such a boy.

"FUCK!" was the only reply Craig got from Thomas.

"Prince Craig, this boy here is Thomas. He saw you from up on the cliff while on his stroll, m-kay," Mr. Mackey explained.

"Was there not another person with me?" Craig asked as his attention went back to Thomas. "A boy with blond hair and green eyes! He would have been singing!"

"FUCK! I… It was so high up! I don't know," Thomas replied in bewilderment.

"He was a boy. My age. Beautiful golden hair and bright green eyes and a sparkling teal fish tail," Craig explained like a madman.

Tweek's cheeks went pink at the compliments Craig listed off.

"Oh, gosh, not this again," Mr. Mackey sighed. "Prince Craig, we have told you time and time again that mermaids do not exist, m-kay," Mr. Mackey explained in exasperation. "He is normally so logical," he added under his breath.

Craig looked Mr. Mackey in the eyes and stuck up his middle finger.

"Now that is not a very nice thing to do, Prince Craig, m-kay," Mr. Mackey snapped. "Now if you are feeling better we should get you back up to the castle to let the doctor take a look at you, m-kay."

Craig did not reply to Mr. Mackey but looked out over the sea. His sharp blue eyes caught the sight of something golden poking out from behind a rock, but when he blinked it was gone.

"ASS! Oh, gosh, what is that," Thomas said, breaking Craig's concentration. He pointed to the large teal scale on Craig's chest.

Before anyone else could touch it, Craig picked up the delicate scale and held it between his thumb and index finger. The sun shone down on the large scale causing it to shine and shimmer in its light.

"A mermaid...?" Craig whispered under his breath as his dark blue eyes studied the beautiful scale.

….

Well, that is it for chapter 2. I hope you enjoyed it. I had a splendid time writing it. I love the creek.

I wonder what Craig could possibly be thinking? What will Tweek do next? Will they be able to be together again? How will they accomplish it!? This shall all be answered in the next chapter so stay tuned.

Chapter three will probably come out at the end of next week. I have it written it is just going through some editing at the moment. I had all last weekend to pump out chapters one and two but this weekend I am not as free. I will be busy this weekend cosplaying so I will not have as much time to write so the next few chapters will come out probably a week apart or so.

As always I want to thank my beta reader, Teenage Mouse. She was quick to check over chapter 1 and 2 even though it was very sudden so let's all thank her, too. If you have time, please take a look at her work.

I also want to thank you for all the kind comments, follows, bookmarks and all that great stuff. I love hearing from my readers so please do leave a comment if you want. I'd love to hear from you.

You can also reach me on Tumblr at Pastaprincess.

See you all soon!


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